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Again with Rome's mechanics: tell me not
Wherein I seem unnatural: desire not

To allay my rages and

Your colder reasons.

revenges with

Vol. O, no more, no more! You have said you will not grant us any thing; For we have nothing else to ask, but that Which you deny already: yet we will ask; That, if you fail in our request, the blame May hang upon your hardness: therefore hear us. Cor. Aufidius, and you Volces, mark; for we'll Hear naught from Rome in private.—Your request? Vol. Should we be silent and not speak, our rai

ment

And state of bodies would bewray 1 what life
We have led since thy exile. Think with thyself,
How more unfortunate than all living women

Are we come hither; since that thy sight, which

should

Make our eyes flow with joy, hearts dance with comforts,

Constrains them weep, and shake with fear and

sorrow;

Making the mother, wife, and child, to see
The son, the husband, and the father tearing
His country's bowels out: and to poor we,
Thine enmity's most capital: thou barr'st us
Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort

1 Show.

That all but we enjoy; for how can we,
Alas! how can we for our country pray,
Whereto we are bound; together with thy victory,
Whereto we are bound? Alack! or we must lose
The country, our dear nurse; or else thy person,
Our comfort in the country. We must find
An evident calamity, though we had

Our wish, which side should win; for either thou
Must, as a foreign recreant, be led

With manacles through our streets; or else
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin;
And bear the palm, for having bravely shed
Thy wife and children's blood. For myself, son,
I purpose not to wait on fortune, till

These wars determine: 1 if I cannot persuade thee
Rather to show a noble grace to both parts,

Than seek the end of one ;-thou shalt no sooner
March to assault thy country, than to tread
(Trust to 't, thou shalt not) on thy mother's womb,
That brought thee to this world.

Ay, and mine,

Vir. That brought you forth this boy, to keep your name Living to time.

Boy.

He shall not tread on me:

I'll run away till I am bigger, but then I'll fight.

Cor. Not of a woman's tenderness to be, Requires nor child nor woman's face to see. I have sat too long.

[rising.

1 Terminate.

Vol.

Nay, go not from us thus.

If it were so, that our request did tend

To save the Romans, thereby to destroy

The Volces whom you serve, you might condem

us,

As poisonous of your honor. No; our suit

Is that you reconcile them: while the Volces
May say, 'This mercy we have show'd;' the Ro-

mans,

This we received;' and each in either side

Give the all-hail to thee, and cry, ' Be bless'd

For making up this peace!' Thou know'st, great

son,

The end of war 's uncertain; but this certain,-
That, if thou conquer Rome, the benefit
Which thou shalt thereby reap, is such a name,
Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses;
Whose chronicle thus writ;- The man was noble,
But with his last attempt he wiped it out;
Destroy'd his country; and his name remains
To the ensuing age, abhorr'd.' Speak to me, son:
Thou hast affected the fine strains 1 of honor,
To imitate the graces of the gods,

To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o' the air,
And yet to charge thy sulphur with a bolt

That should but rive an oak. Why dost not speak?
Think'st thou it honorable for a noble man

Still to remember wrongs?-Daughter, speak you

1 Niceties, refinements.

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